Victorian Christmas Strolling In Troy NY
Christmas Strolling
I have always wanted to attend the Victorian Stroll, and it only took me 29 years to do this. Why you may ask? Well for the most part I was either working or something else was going on in my life. And of course it always falls on the 1st Sunday in the month of December. But this year I was determined to attend this wonderful event , which draws over 10,000 people each year for this holiday event. I took a vacation day, and invited my granddaughter and my two very good friends to come along for a fun filled day enjoying all the Victorian Charm that Troy NY has to offer. Just the hustle and bustle of activity, the people, the wonderful aroma of all the food cooking and being served down on Monument Square was exciting! Just to see people forget about everyday worries, and just have fun was great! Everyone was so friendly and happy! The weather was a bit chilly and windy, though this did not dampen the sprits of all that attended the Stroll.
The Victorian Stroll is in its 29th year and transforms downtown Troy to another era in time. You will see people dressed in Victorian clothing walking the historic streets of Troy NY. The historic architecture of the buildings are really beautiful,and well worth taking a second look at. There is so much to see and do, and it is really hard to know where to begin, so you just jump in and stroll along finding all kinds of wonderful things on the way!
Visitors will enjoy a day of shopping, awesome food, fun and activities for all ages. There are over 100 varieties of fun and entertainment to choose from.
Strolling along…. You will find storytelling, live music, theatre, dancing, kids face painting, street venders selling food great food, as well as sit down restaurants.
You will also enjoy taking a ride on the Antique Fire Engine, Carriage Rides and the Trolley. Also there are rides for the little ones. That’s right they can take a cart ride driven by the big beautiful Newfoundland dogs! You can also have a picture taken with Father Christmas or Frosty the snowman, and of course Santa Claus! You will also see the Stilt Walking Bugle Boy and many other Characters along the way as well. There was also Father Flanigan Marching Band. Saxaphone Santa was strolling throughout downtown Troy as well and entertaining folks with his music as well. I really got of kick outta Santa! There were also Choirs preforming at pretty much all the churches downtown as well as various bands playing at most of the bars as well.
There were many events to attend, such as:
**** Pioneer Bank: Open house, refreshments were served, entertainment, & a visit with Santa! There was also a children’s magician! They had cookies & hot cider.
*** Peter Pan Musical: Which was held at Russell Sage Collage.
*** Reach Puppet Ministry: A puppet show for the kids. There was also free refreshments.
*** The Troy Record Newspaper: There was a tour of the building , and free pictures with Santa! , and free refreshments.
*** St. John’s Episcopal Church: There was a guided tour of the church, and baked goods, plus crafts for sale.
*** First United Presbyterian Church: There was a Holiday Jazz concert preformed by the Rensselaer Music Association. I have to say that we really enjoyed this! The band was awesome! They had free coffee and cookies.
**** The Troy Atrium: There was live music, the Trojan High Steppers, a food court, plenty of stalls selling a variety of products. You could buy hats, gloves & scarves. There was a stall where the lady was selling Victorian purses and hats. Another stall was selling all kinds of items made out of bottle caps, and yet another stall had all handmade glass blown type of items. There was even a silent auction! The bookstore was also open and they were having a sale on pretty much all their books.
The events above were just a few of all the many choices of events that the Victorian Stroll offered this year. Being in it’s 29th year, it gets bigger every year, and many more people come from all over to attend this wonderful event. This event benefits everyone in Troy NY, and helps to get shop owners discovered. Though Troy does have it’s ups & downs, as a whole the city is trying to re-vitalize the downtown area. Troy has such a rich history!, and is trying to build back up, what was once a vibrant thriving city. Troy is a rather laid back city with lots of charm! There are many other wonderful events throughout the year that are offered in Troy NY. If you are looking to visit a place with some great history, good food and nice clean places to stay, then I would recommend looking into visiting us in Troy NY. Happy holidays everyone!